Fishing at Lac Carre, Côte-Nord, Quebec

• Overview

  The Côte-Nord entry here is Lac Carre, in Quebec. Salt water lies 9.9 km off. It is low-lying compared with other Quebec water we list. The town to know is Chute-aux-Outardes, 19 km out. Betsiamites is 21 km away, with Hauterive at 30 km. Also within reach: Lac la Croix 0.7 km, Petit lac la Croix a shade over 2.1 km, Lac Savane 2.4 km, Lacs Jumeaux a shade over 2.7 km and Lac Tremblay 3.2 km. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Lac Carre

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Species logged across Côte-Nord include logperch. County data is a starting point rather than a guarantee. On Lac Carre the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from -15°C in January up to 17°C in July. Long winters and short summers set the pattern. After early May the shallows warm and the fish move up. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early May and starts locking again about late November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lac Carre.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the perch, a small jig tipped with worm, dropped along the edges, is hard to beat. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Lac la Croix sits 0.7 km off and takes the overflow. Where Lac Carre is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.